Julia Child’s Coq au Vin
Julia Child's Coq Au Vin is undeniably the best. This recipe sticks very much to the original, only minorly changing the ingredients and cooking method to bring it in line with the times. While Coq au Vin (or chicken in wine) might sound fancy, it is really just a simple French chicken stew that anyone can master. Don't be intimidated, this recipe is very easy to follow.
Shortly after starting this blog, I was asked to participate in a celebration of Julia Child's 100th birthday. Participating bloggers were given her most famous recipes to make and share. It was the first time I had made coq au vin.
Since then I've made it countless times. It's a simple recipe that takes a bit of time and is 100% worth it. I've made a few very minor changes to the recipe to reflect modern cooking and diets.
What makes this coq au vin special?
- Even though this coq au vin is easier to make and uses more familiar ingredients, it is every bit as rich delicious as the original.
- The chicken is first marinated in the wine (while you prep the other ingredients) which gives the chicken so much flavor.
- I use chicken thighs and drumsticks. The original Julia Child's recipe calls for cutting up your own chicken. Most of us aren't going to do that so using cuts that are familiar and widely available makes this recipe more approachable without sacrificing flavor.
- I sprinkle the cooked bacon on top after the dish is cooked as I love that it remains crunchy. Bacon that's soggy from cooking in a sauce is not my favorite.
- The original recipe calls for a tomato, but I'm assuming Julia must have meant a summer sun-ripened tomato. Our grocery store tomatoes are sad in comparison. I use some tomato paste, which has a strong tomato flavor and can be caramelized a little to add some sweetness.
- Adding carrots, which are not in the original recipe, make this more of a complete meal.
- Traditional coq au vin is thickened with butter and flour (beurre manie), but that doesn't work with many modern diets. I've given options for traditional, paleo, gluten-free, and dairy-free beurre manie so you can choose the option that works best for you. I always go for the paleo version.
What to serve with Coq au Vin?
My personal favorite is to serve this with buttery mashed potatoes and a green salad. The gravy is so good poured over potatoes and the green salad brings a little freshness to the plate. Here are some other ideas:
- Steamed Basmati Rice
- Roasted root vegetables.
- Braised sturdy greens … think collard, kale, or swiss chard
- Pasta.
- Crusty buttered bread for mopping up all the gravy.
- Wild rice.
- Roasted cauliflower.
- Green beans or asparagus.
- Cauliflower rice.
And for dessert, try Julia Child's Chocolate Mousse. It's delicious!
What wine do you use in coq au vin?
Traditionally, coq au vin is made with a Burgundy wine, like a pinot noir. I've used lighter reds like Tempranillo and Gamay Noir successfully. I think the most important thing is that you like the wine you use. The wine adds a lot of flavor to the dish so make sure it's one you enjoy drinking!
White wine can also be used to make coq au vin blanc. Steer clear of sweet white wines. A Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc works well.
If you follow a paleo diet, you're probably concerned about all the additives in mass-produced wine. One company that curates a collection of clean crafted wines is Scout and Cellar. They deliver to most of continental US and are worth checking out.
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Delicious Chicken Dinner Recipes
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- Grilled Mustard Chicken with Creamy Walnut Sauce
Julia Child's Coq Vin
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Prep Time: 45 mins
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Cook Time: 30 mins
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Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
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Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Category: Dinner
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Cuisine: French
Description
Julia Child's Coq Au Vin is undeniably the best. This recipe sticks very much to the original, only minorly changing the ingredients and cooking method to bring it in line with the times. While Coq au Vin (or chicken in wine) might sound fancy, it is really just a simple French chicken stew that anyone can master. Don't be intimidated, this recipe is very easy to follow.
✨ If you love this coq au vin recipe as much as I do, make sure to give it a 5-star review in the comments below!
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs
- 4 chicken drumsticks
- 1 1/2 cups red wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- Optional: 1/4 cup brandy
- 3 strips of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 medium onion, quartered then thinly sliced
- 4 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 8 ounces mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 8 ounces pearl onions, peeled
- Beurre manie (see notes for the options)
Instructions
- Place the chicken thighs and drumsticks in a medium-sized bowl and pour the wine, chicken stock, and (if using) the brandy over the top. Prep the vegetables.
- Add the bacon to a large skillet or braiser over medium-high heat. Cook until the bacon is crispy, about 8 minutes, then remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon.
- Remove the chicken from the wine marinade (save the wine) and dry the chicken with paper towels. Working in 2 batches if needed, place the chicken in the pan, skin side down. Sear until it is golden on both sides (about 5 minutes each side) then remove the chicken from the pan. Pour all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon/chicken oil into a heatproof dish and set it aside.
- Add the sliced onion and carrots to the pan and let them cook until the onion is golden brown, about 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and let it cook for 1 minute.
- Push the vegetables to the side of the pan and add the tomato paste. Cook the tomato paste until it is fragrant and begins to darken. Pour the reserved wine marinade into the pan, scraping the bottom to remove any stuck on bits.
- Nestle the chicken into the pan and sprinkle the thyme over top. Cover the pot, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Pour 1 tablespoon of the reserved oil (or use olive oil) into a large skillet. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until brown, about 10 minutes.
- Add the pearl onions to the pot with the chicken and cook for 10 minutes more.
- In a small bowl mix together your choice of beurre manie. Remove the chicken from the pan then add the beurre manie. Stir it into the sauce and let it thicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken back into the pan and top with the cooked bacon and mushrooms. Sprinkle with a little fresh thyme.
Notes
Beurre manie options:
- Traditional beurre manie: 2 tablespoons flour + 2 tablespoons softened butter
- Paleo and gluten-free beurre manie: 2 tablespoons tapioca starch + 1 tablespoon softened butter
- Dairy-free beurre manie: 2 tablespoons flour + 2 tablespoons dairy-free margarine
Excerpted from The Way to Cook by Julia Child. Copyright © 1989 by Julia Child. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.
We loved it! Thank you 😊
★★★★★
Delicious! A little labor intensive due to moving the ingredients back & forth but totally worth it! Pour yourself a glass of red while you’re cooking for a wonderful ambient experience. I used coconut flour for gluten free burre Mane’ & it was fine. 5 stars.
★★★★★
As facsimile recipes go, Your recipe is well explained, so that even a novice could come up with a decent version of coq au vin. Notice that there are as many variations of coq au vin as there are French, especially from Auvergne, where it was born, and never mind that Julius Caesar, well one of his field cooks anyway, invented the dish for the Gaule leader Vercingetorix, who had sent Caesar a coq, symbol of Gouloise bravery and stamina, and Caesar, in turn, served the leader of the Averne tribe the bird braised in wine. Congratulations, I believe Julia would have liked your interpretation of her dish, and yes I also use carrots, bacon, and baby portabella mushrooms. Chef Lippe, Vero Beach, Florida. USA. Vive les Gauloise!
★★★★★
Fantastic! Not difficult at all. Carrots should be cut about half as small or they don’t cook.
★★★★★
This is as a great recipe. I was running out of time so I didn’t use the pearl onions. The chicken I used was skinless thighs with the bone. I knew it would have to be thickened so after I put everything in the baking pan. On the stove, I mixed butter and flour, then whisked in some of the marinade until it was a thickened, smooth sauce. I added that to cover the rest of the the baking pan ingredients. I had potatoes in the dish so I didn’t use any other starch. Great dish!
★★★★★
Followed recipe- no substitutes. It is super delish. Made it today for Valentine “s Day You really can’t beat Julia’s recipes. And yes the tomato paste worked well as it is winter and a juicy plump tomato might be hard to find 🙂
Turned out spectacularly on the first try! To save time on the back end, after starting with the bacon first, I cooked the mushrooms (and set aside), then went to chicken and so on. Agree with another poster that the chicken can use some salt prior to braising, suggest a bit more thyme overall, and also added a bit of corn starch to thicken the gravy just a touch more. Served with mashed potatoes and braised Swiss chard.
★★★★★
I made enough for two meals. The second day we ate this dish it was better than the first. The color of the chick darkened ai it resembled and tasted like cow au vin we had in France. I also sautéed fresh mushrooms for the left over meal.
I highly recommend this
★★★★
Thank you for this amazing recipe! I will definitely be making it again but will try with boneless thighs as a personal prefernece. I also wish the meat was more fall-off-the-bone tender so I will try slow cooking it for longer next time, perhaps in the oven.
★★★★★
Wow! This dish was excellent! This would be great to serve to company! Definitely will be making again!
★★★★★
I made this phenomenal dish today for the first time. I’ve been cooking for 35 years and I’m known as a really good cook. I have to say that no one wowed me, for this 35 years, with recipe as you did. Everything is as described and everything is crystal clear. You can not miss if you are following a recipe as it says. I didn’t have need to change anything and my family is delighted about this dish.
I just want to say that this is a really good recipe and that I’m truly grateful for it.
★★★★★
Hi… thank you for the recipe. Can it be made ahead of time?
Yes! This recipe reheats beautifully. 🙂
I made this yesterday on a day where I had plenty of time. It was wonderful. The only change I made was I did the pearl onions the way Julia suggested. Sautéed in butter (and I added some of the bacon/chicken grease) then braised in a little wine and herbs. I did it while cooking the mushrooms so it didn’t take more time, just another pot to wash. The carrots are a nice addition.
★★★★★
It took more like 3 hours to prepare end to end – and used lots of dishes. But very yummy! I served it with brococolini/asparagus and homemade bread for dipping into the sauce.
★★★★
This is such a crowd pleaser. Made it for 12 people (using some creativity in the oven) and it was amazing. Its our go-to for Christmas dinner now. Thank you!
★★★★★
Made this for Christmas Eve dinner. It was fantastic! Everyone loved it so much.
★★★★★
Big fan of Julia. Her recipe is the best. You’ve done this well and made it simple. Carrots sweeten it and the tomato paste deepens it’s richness. Christmas Eve dinner!
★★★★★
I made the recipe. Huge success!
I did omit the bacon. Nobody noticed it 😎
★★★★★
The intricate flavor of this dish is REALLY good, a really special dish to cook!
My only critique is the lack of salt. In the directions listed, you don’t add salt until way way near the end, and only to the sauce in the pan. While the sauce tastes absolutely perfect after salt – the chicken does not. The whole process of cooking is done without a grain of salt at all and when you bite into the chicken you can definitely taste that there’s no salt in the meat. True you get the wines and brandy flavor, but its just not elevated without salt, it tastes low and muted.
I think if I were to make this again, perhaps I’d add salt to the marinade, a teaspoon or two – or if I’m scared that the sauce might be too salty after reduction I would at least salt the meat when i brown it. I’ll have to experiment and find out – but truly, it needs salt at one of the earlier steps.
★★★
Brandon, I totally agree. It needs salt. I think that maybe lardons retain quite a bit of their salt content, even though it has been prepared as directed? Not sure but modern bacon does NOT have enough salt in it to salt the dish sufficiently. I salt my chicken when I brown it.
Great recipe! Loved the meal!
★★★★★
Awesome recipe! I used cipollini onions and I browned them in the bacon fat after the chicken cooked then put them to the side until last 10 min. I thought tomatoe paste was a great add to build depth to the wine base. This will now be my go to recipe for this dish.
★★★★★
Just finished cooking, I tasted a small piece of the chicken w/sauce, OMG it was worth trashing my kitchen, using two big skillets, two big bowls and every kitchen implement I have. Figure two days to clean up. I could skate on the grease on the floor. But who cares? Tonight we don’t have dinner, we DINE
Love your humor.
Delicious, best I’m made
★★★★★
A favorite cold-season stew! Tried this modified Julia Child version today and am very pleased with the results. This will probably be my new go-to recipe for Coq au Vin. Merci!
★★★★★
LOVED IT!
Me and my family both loved it, it went really well with this flatbread my mum made, Will definitely try it again! It was surprisingly not that difficult! Thanks to you! 100% recommend this recipe!
★★★★★
Perfection!
★★★★★
Thank you so much for the delicious recipe! It was a cold day yesterday, and this was the perfect dinner. The kids gave it a thumbs up too! I will be making this again and again. 🙂
★★★★★
This dish was “Lick-the-platter-clean” ah-mazing! Thanks for the great recipe. Can’t wait to make it again!
★★★★★
OMG!! So good and so fun to make!! I blanched the bacon as Julia suggested – great idea, JC😊
Must say, though, that it does take longer to make, but so worth the wait. Thank you for sharing. This will be made over and over.
★★★★★
Can I double this recipe? I only cook a few times a year for company. And if I’m going to make the effort, it’s just as much work for 8 people as for 4, unless there’s a glitch. Please advise.
As long as you have a big enough pan then this recipe can easily be doubled. 🙂
Temperature is dropping in Nebraska… just dusted off my Dutch oven and knocked this recipe out of the park. Sooooo yummy!
★★★★★
Today I made this recipe for the second time. I only made a few changes. After cooking the bacon and chicken I only had two tablespoons of the oil to sauté the onion and carrots. I used butter to sauté the mushrooms and a shallot. I can’t get pearl onions where I live in Mexico. Made the beurre with arrowroot and and some chicken broth. Used a nice Pinot Noir and cognac from France. Would definitely recommend this recipe.
★★★★★
This was a bit of work, but remarkably easy and very delicious. We don’t eat pork, so I used turkey bacon. It worked well, but it is leaner than pork bacon, so I added a little butter and olive oil to the pan for the onions and carrots. It was superb otherwise.
★★★★★
We don’t eat pork. 😭 What could I substitute?
Thanks
Maybe try turkey bacon. Or you can simply omit it. 🙂
Do you use skin-on thighs for this recipe?
My preference is for skin-on thighs. But the skin does go soft so keep that in mind. 🙂
Excellent insight on a great recipe. I marinated the chicken overnight in the wine. Also, I placed the whole covered dish in the oven for 20-30 minutes while I am cooking the mushrooms.
★★★★★
Question? Sear the chicken on a hot dry skillet?
Merci.
Use the same skillet that you used to cook the bacon. There will be lots of oil left in the pan which you can use to sear the chicken. 🙂
I want to make this, refrigerate it and reheat it the next day in a crockpot. Will doing so change anything?
This recipe reheats well!
I love this recipe. As a novice cook who only started cooking recently, I’ve now cooked this twice. So delicious and not challenging to make. I’ll definitely continue to make this!
★★★★★
If it’s tomato season, how would I use a great tomato instead of tomato paste?
I would chop it finely and add it once the veggies brown. 🙂